After her big win at the Nuttycombe Invitational, Alicia Monson will look to retain her status as the national title favorite at Sunday's Big Ten Championships. In the team race, Michigan will go for their fourth straight title in the deepest conference in the nation. Here’s what to watch for this weekend in Columbus.

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Can Anyone Challenge Alicia Monson?

It doesn’t seem likely. Monson’s dominant win at home over Weini Kelati two weeks ago put her atop the NCAA pecking order. There’s few in the nation that can stick with her and even fewer within the conference. After an injury spoiled her outdoor season, there were reasonable questions about whether the Monson from the indoor and cross country seasons would return this fall. It’s clear that the injury was just a blip and if anything, Monson is better than she was before she left. 

After the race at Nuttycombe, she said she’s stronger than ever, able to push from further out and not rely on her finishing speed. Of course, if it comes down to a close, she has that ability as well. Less than a month away from the NCAA Championships, she will be looking for a smooth run through Columbus to another Big Ten title. 

Ericka VanderLende (#17 in FloXC rankings) has been the second-best Big Ten runner all season. The freshman from Michigan was fourth at the John McNichols Invitational and fifth at Pre Nationals. She’s been the top runner for the Wolverines in all four of her races. She likes running at the front and will be willing to run with Monson in the early stages of the race. Even when Monson runs away, VanderLende will be in prime position to take second.   

Bailey Hertenstein is having a breakout season for Indiana. The sophomore was 28th at this meet last year and 127th at NCAAs. This year, she’s ranked 24th in the nation after a seventh-place finish at Joe Piane and a 16th-place finish at Nuttycombe.

Will Michigan Get The 4-Peat?

The Wolverines (#7) 18 point win over Michigan State in 2018 ran their conference win streak to three. Despite the loss of several key pieces to graduation, Michigan is the favorite to make it four-in-a-row. Led by VanderLende, they are the class of the conference. 

They opened the season with a fourth-place finish at the John McNichols Invitational. The next weekend, they came to Columbus to visit the conference championship course and beat Illinois, Ohio State and Penn State to win the Big Ten Preview. Two weeks ago, they finished fourth at Pre Nats. 

Wisconsin (#11) might be the best positioned to knock off Michigan. They haven’t faced Michigan yet, but the combination of Monson and Amy Davis (15th at Nuttycombe) up front gives the Badgers two low scorers. Michigan State (#12) finished two points behind Wisconsin at Nuttycombe and Annie Fuller (13th at Nuttycombe) gives the Spartans a top-five scorer to pair with solid depth. 

Who Are The Top Team Sleepers?

From a team perspective, Big Ten is the deepest conference in the nation. They have seven teams in the top 25 of the FloXC rankings. Beyond Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State sit Ohio State (#21), Indiana (#22), Illinois (#23) and Penn State (#24). 

Ohio State has a solid top three with Lainey Studebaker, Abby Nichols and Julia Rizk. The Buckeyes placed third behind Michigan and Illinois at the Big Ten Preview. Illinois has the potential to jump into the top four. They haven’t been able to challenge Michigan in their three meetings this year, but they’ve been consistent. They were sixth at John McNichols and Pre Nationals. In between those races, they took second at the Big Ten preview, finishing ahead of Ohio State and Penn State.